A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O Connor. PowerPoint By Carol Davis

Transcription

1 A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O Connor PowerPoint By Carol Davis

2 Flannery O Connor

3 Home in Milledgeville,Georgia Lived on a farm with her mother Raised peacocks Endured constant treatment for her progressive and incurable disease: lupus Wrote two novels, Wise Blood (1952) and The Violent Bear It Away (1960) Two collections of stories, A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955) and Everything That Rises Must Converge (19650 Deeply religious Stories often force readers to confront physical deformity, spiritual depravity, and violence

4 Andalusia in Milledgeville, Georgia

5 Five Facts about O Connor 1. Mary Flannery O Connor Considered one of the most important writers in 20 th Century Writing usually contained these traits. A. Strange characters B. Violent plot elements C. Religious world view

6 Flannery O Connor 2. Roman Catholic writer who knew most of her audience did not share her strict moral view 3. Born in Savannah Georgia in 1925 to wealthy parents father died young, but her strict upbringing influenced her writing 4. Well-educated, never married, and lived in Milledgeville, Ga. until she died 5. Died from the same illness (lupus) as her father when she was 39 in 1964

7 A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955) Serves as the introduction to all of her fiction Main argument: Grace is for everyone, even those who seem loathsome Author explores the Christian concept of grace ---that a divine pardon from God is available simply for the asking.

8 POINT-OF-VIEW Third person limited narrative Primary focus is on the Grandmother s perspective of events The characters names illustrate the story s point if view Bailey s wife the children s mother Objective narrator Authorial distance

9 Characters Grandmother-protagonist No name Provides much of the humor in the story Portrayed as a tragically comic caricature Selfish Typically racist for the time period Critical Loves her son Superior moral attitude Pushy Inadvertently causes the death of her family and herself Has a religious epiphany

10 The Misfit Escaped murderer Older man Wears glasses No shirt, no socks Tan and white shoes Calm Deliberate politeness Obviously uneducated Violent

11 Other Characters Bailey Only son; impatient with her; silly himself; angry; unmoved by family; bossy; and limited in grip on things The Mother Wife; young; vacant John Wesley and June Star The grandchildren; smart-mouthed; wild, relentless whiners; argue; manipulate; make fun of everyone

12 More Characters The Baby Red Sammy Butts- Provides the name of the story has similar thinking to Grandmother Hiram and Bobby Lee Younger boys who carry what the Misfit wants

13 THEMES Prejudice vs. Tolerance Racial and class prejudice Vanity and selfishness Good character comes from Good people. Ignorance of other lifestyles Lack of understanding other people s problems

14 God and Religion Characters miss out on love and charity Because of their selfishness Overlook opportunities for understanding and connection God s love and forgiveness are available Uses violence to get characters attention Receives grace as she understands her place in humanity. All are sinners in O Connor s fiction, but all are capable of being saved.

15 Symbolism Skies and weather used to reveal a character s state of mind Sky is cloudless and clear at the end of the story. The Grandmother has died with a clear vision of her place in the world. The old house represents her habit of living in the past which leads to the destruction of the family

16 Foreshadowing An indication of future events Grandmother dresses with an eye toward tragedy Misfit introduced in the 1 st paragraph of story The family passes a grave yard The car is described as looking like a hearse The town is Toombsboro.

17 Structure Story divided into two parts: The first half-humorous and light After the accident The second half of the story turns ominous and dark. The conversation turns to religion which is in stark contrast to the petty chattering at the beginning of the story

18 Historical Context The Civil Rights Movement The Era of the Automobile The Small Screen Rock n Roll

19 The story is a journey to Grace. The Grandmother, unknowingly, is on a journey for grace and forgiveness in a world where the redemption she searching for comes in death for her entire family. She makes the gesture toward the Misfit Who recoils in horror and murders her.

20 The story pits the superficial Grandmother against the malevolent Misfit Starts as a satire of a family vacation Ends as a tale of coldblooded murder.

21 Paul stresses to Timothy in the New Testament: True Grace is associated with the laying on of hands. When the Grandmother touches the Misfit, she replicates Paul s laying on of hands

22 Source: con nor